


Childish

by glitterandtears6



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: A Quiet Place Movie, Anxious Dan Howell, Cute Dan Howell/Phil Lester, Dan Howell/Phil Lester Comfort, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Fluff, M/M, Phil Lester Is A Sweetheart, Sharing a Bed, Sleepovers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2020-10-05 05:31:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20483675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glitterandtears6/pseuds/glitterandtears6
Summary: Phil mocks Dan for being a bit childish throughout the day, but it leads to sleepovers and hand-holding in the end.





	1. A Quiet Place

“Hello, Dan and Phil Games…” There was a long pause before Phil finally decided what to say and the video continued. The pair introduced the game before Phil clicked the icon on the screen and it started up.   
Dan watched contentedly as Phil babbled on about some random thing that had happened earlier. Half of Phil’s stories were cut out of the video anyway, so Dan didn’t worry about his silence. He just sat and accidentally started to stare. He stared at that raven-black quiff and the glasses resting on that nose. He stared at those lips, moving so fast and clumsily. In his zoned-out state, Dan found unwelcome thoughts about those lips moving through his mind. He shook his head and sat up a bit straighter.   
Around twenty minutes later, they had finally finished filming. They immediately went to the couch and collapsed, Phil turning on the TV.  
“Pizza?” Dan asked.  
Phil nodded, not even looking away from the screen. “One of those days.”  
Dan smiled as he tapped in their order online.  
They spent a half hour watching TV before the doorbell rang.   
“Not it,” Dan muttered.  
“I did it last time,” Phil whined.  
“Are you two years old?”  
“Why don’t you just go, if you’re so mature?”  
There was a long pause before the tension broke with a shared giggle.  
“We can go together.”  
So, together, they walked down the stairs and the long hallway to get to the door. Phil opened it and accepted the pizza, while Dan paid and spoke to the deliverer. They made a good team, in an awkward way.  
While eating dinner, Dan and Phil were discussing a title for their video. The conversation was full of laughter and mocking, and Dan couldn’t help but get lost in how right it felt. With Phil, there was no awkward silence. They could just enjoy themselves, enjoy each other. After a few seconds too many of staring at Phil, he snapped out of his daze.  
“You okay, Dan?”   
Dan blushed. “Yeah, just… tired.” He looked away in hopes that that ended the conversation.   
“Me too.” Phil stood up. “I think I’m headed to bed.”  
“Bed?” Dan chuckled. “Phil, it’s 8:30.”   
Phil shrugged. “I can’t think of anything better to do.”  
“We could watch a movie,” Dan suggested.  
Phil agreed and got up to make some popcorn while Dan chose the film. After making the popcorn, he went to sit down, his trademark vase of water in one hand. However, as he was going to set the glass down, Dan bumped him and it spilled all over the couch.  
Dan jumped up and swore loudly.  
“Crap, Dan, sorry.”  
Dan shook his head. “‘S fine. I’m used to you being clumsy anyway.”  
They both laughed.   
“Guess no movie, then,” Phil said as he gestured to the soaked couch.  
Dan furrowed his eyebrows. “Can’t we just sit on the floor or something? I was looking forward to a movie.”  
Phil smirked. “You are an actual child. Can’t we just wait ‘til tomorrow?”  
“Well, I’m going to watch the movie in my bed, then.”  
“Great, I’ll join you.”  
Dan’s eyes went wide. He looked at Phil, lost for words.  
“I mean, I want to see it, too. It’d be a pretty jerk move of you to watch it without me.”  
Dan laughed and gave Phil a shove. “Alright.”  
A few minutes later, both men were laid in Dan’s bed, Phil’s laptop on between them. The bowl of popcorn sat on Phil’s lap.   
“What are we watching?”   
Dan swallowed the mouthful of popcorn he had sneaked. “A Quiet Place.”  
Phil chuckled.  
“What?”  
“Nothing.” Phil knew Dan would either get too scared to sleep or scream out loud multiple times, even if the movie was barely scary.   
Thirty minutes in, the movie had its first “scare,” at which Dan squealed loudly.  
“You’re such a baby.”  
Dan gasped dramatically. “How could you? It’s called immersion.”   
At the next suspenseful moment, Phil glanced over at Dan. His hands were over his mouth, his knee bouncing. “Dan.”   
Dan looked over at him with wide eyes.   
“Are you sure you’re even enjoying this?”   
Dan nodded enthusiastically, but his thumbnail was digging into his jawline hard.  
Phil bit his lip. “Come on, you’re going to hurt yourself.” When Dan didn’t stop, Phil reached out and grasped Dan’s wrist, gently pulling it away from his face while pausing the movie. He resisted, so Phil linked his fingers between Dan’s, holding his thumb away from his skin. Dan was flushed bright pink now, and he let his hand relax. Phil kept Dan’s hand in his, though, unpausing the movie nonchalantly.   
For the remainder of the movie, Dan managed to keep himself in control by squeezing Phil’s hand whenever he was getting scared. He felt nervous, being so close to his best friend and secret crush, but the thrill of watching a scary movie wiped the feeling away to some extent.   
A couple of hours later, the credits rolled. Phil looked over at Dan, who looked sleepy.   
“Alright, well, now I can head to bed, right?”  
Dan grinned. “Well, if I’m such a child, then I’d like to formally invite you to a sleepover.”  
Phil snorted. He then noticed Dan’s expectant look, and replied, “Wait, seriously?”  
“Why not? You’re already in my bed.”   
“I mean, sure.”   
Dan stood up and set the popcorn bowl on the floor, followed by Phil’s laptop. Then he wiggled under the covers and turned to Phil. “If you needed to go get anything or whatever, feel free.”  
Phil stood up and strolled to his bedroom, from which he collected his phone charger and a pillow, and changed into his pajamas. When he returned to Dan’s room, Dan was still under the covers in his bed, but now he was shirtless.   
“Hey! Welcome to the sleepover,” Dan greeted with a goofy face.  
“You are /such/ a loser.”  
Dan scoffed. “Like you’re not.”  
They shared a smile before Phil climbed under the covers next to Dan. When Dan didn’t move to turn off the light, Phil sat up. “Should I get the lights?”  
Dan grimaced. “I’m feeling jumpy.”  
“Oh my god, Dan. It wasn’t even one of those realistic killer movies or anything. Please? I am right here next to you, after all.”  
Dan, afraid to admit he never turned off his lights at night, nodded reluctantly. When the room filled with darkness, he accidentally let out a yelp.  
“Dan?”  
Dan held his breath in hopes Phil hadn’t heard the noise. He didn’t need anyone knowing he was kinda-sorta scared of the dark.  
“Dan?” Phil repeated.  
“Uh, yeah?”  
“You… okay?”  
After a deep sigh, Dan replied, “Yep!”  
Phil climbed under the covers once again, only able to see Dan’s glowing phone screen and its reflection on Dan’s face. Just as he was drifting off, Dan’s voice broke the silence.  
“Y’know, I might go sleep on the couch or something. I don’t want to make you get up, but I really don’t, um, like the dark.”  
Phil propped himself up on one elbow. “Why not?”  
Dan laughed and shook his head.  
“Dan?”  
“Fine. I’m scared of it. And before you say anything, I got it: I’m a child.”  
Phil sighed. “Come on. What better night to get over your fear than one when I’m right here.”  
Dan shrugged. “I don’t know, I mean, I can’t see you or anything. Plus, you sleep earlier than me, like, 90 percent of the time.”  
Phil looked down in thought. He cautiously reached out towards Dan, finding his hand and holding it. “There, now you’ll remember I’m here.”  
Dan smiled in the darkness and gave Phil’s hand a squeeze. “Thanks, Phil.”


	2. Liking the Suspense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan and Phil wake up the morning after watching a not-so-scary scary movie.

Phil woke up with Dan curled into his side. He smiled to himself and wrapped an arm around the sleeping man, letting his eyes fall shut again. After a few minutes, Dan awoke too.  
“Morning,” said Phil. He looked down at Dan, trying to hide his slight nerves.  
Dan squinted, first at Phil’s arm around him, then at Phil’s face. “Oh, hi. Sorry, did I…” He vaguely gestured between them.  
“Nah, it’s all good.”  
Dan let out a breath.   
“Hey, you did it.”  
Dan looked at Phil, puzzled.  
“You slept through the night in the dark, and you survived.”  
Dan laughed. “I guess I did. Thanks again, Phil.”  
“It was my pleasure.”  
Dan smiled at Phil quizzically. Had Phil really enjoyed holding his hand and sharing a bed with him? He knew Phil would be too polite to say otherwise, so he dropped it.  
“Gotta edit today.”   
“You have to edit. I’m playing video games.” Dan raised his eyebrows in defiance.   
Phil pulled his arm out from under Dan. “Then I guess I should go get started.” He smirked as Dan dropped against the bed.   
Dan stared at Phil as he left the room. It was finally sinking in, the past twelve hours, and butterflies were rising in his stomach. He sighed, unsure whether the hand-holding and cuddling really were something more than platonic.   
An hour later, Phil was in his room, editing the video, while Dan was washing the dishes from breakfast. As he scrubbed crumbs from the plates, he allowed his mind to wander. After last night, his feelings for Phil were at an all-time high. He was nervous to bring it up, but he knew he should.   
Phil had been in the mood for a burger that day, so for lunch the pair went to a nearby burger joint. They were chatting away while waiting for their food.  
“So, what’d you actually think of the movie?” Phil asked.  
Dan swallowed his lemonade. “It was pretty good. I liked the suspense.”  
Phil raised his eyebrows.  
“What? I did!”  
“Mhm.” Phil shook his head, smiling.  
Dan gazed at his best friend across the table. In that moment, he was feeling a lot of things. It was so easy to be around Phil, he knew they could keep talking forever, and nothing else had to happen. But he also knew he wanted more. He wanted Phil to hold him like he had last night with no excuses, no reason other than love. He took a deep breath.  
“I like you.”  
Phil choked slightly on his lemonade, then quickly swallowed and opened his mouth to speak.  
“Sorry, that was weird,” Dan added, cutting Phil off before he could talk.  
For a moment, Phil was lost for words. He ran a hand through his hair. “Where… Where did that come from?”  
Dan shrugged awkwardly. “I just- I do, I always have. Just thought you should know, I guess.” His voice was trailing off.  
“That’s all?”   
Dan looked down at the table and nodded.  
“Oh.” Phil paused for a long time. “Well, I think I like you too, FYI.”  
Dan’s eyes went wide. “Oh, uh, cool.”  
Phil tilted his head down to make eye contact with Dan, who was avoiding his gaze. “Y’know, it was fun last night, sharing a bed with you. It felt nice to hold you in my arms. It felt… right.”  
Dan looked up. “Yeah?”  
“Yeah.” Phil searched Dan’s eyes before continuing. “Would you like to do that more, maybe?”  
“Sure.” Dan nodded and smiled shyly.  
Phil leaned in and brushed his lips on Dan’s. Dan closed the little space between them and kissed him softly.  
“I’d definitely like to do that more,” Dan breathed.   
Phil chuckled. “Good.”


	3. Nightmares with a Cause

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan and Phil find their romantic moments drifting away, but it all changes when Dan has a nightmare.

Despite the sudden burst of confidence in the two men, they both felt too awkward to bring up the kiss for a while after it happened. As they were headed to bed that night, Phil had been planning to ask if he could sleep in Dan’s bed again, but he chickened out at the last second. They both went to bed disappointed and worried it had all been a fluke.   
The next morning, Dan woke up first. He sat up in his bed and sighed, squinting at the wall in thought. He told himself, ‘today, I’m going to do it. I’m going to make this man my boyfriend.’ With a determined bounce to his step, he went to make breakfast.  
Three days later, both Dan and Phil were inwardly miserable. They wondered, were they really going to let this spark fade? But all doubt was lost when Dan flopped onto Phil’s bed at 2 a.m.  
“Dan?” Phil’s voice was scratchy with sleep.  
“Sorry, I just- I had a nightmare. Can I sleep in here?”  
Phil smiled in the darkness. “Of course.” He felt Dan’s arm lay across his chest. He turned onto his side, trying to let his eyes adjust enough to see Dan’s face by moonlight. “Hi,” he whispered.  
Dan scooted closer to Phil, pressing his head into Phil’s side. “Hi.”  
“You okay?”  
Dan nodded.  
“Good. I’m right here if you need anything, alright?”  
Dan nodded again and pressed his whole body into Phil’s side.  
Before Phil could register the words coming out of his mouth, he felt them. This cuddling, it was so soft and simple, yet it had immense power. For example, it had the power to make Phil say, “I love you.”  
Dan blushed. He meant to reply, but he couldn’t get it out.  
“Sorry, I made it weird. Please don’t leave, Dan.”  
“Why would I leave?” Dan propped himself up on one elbow. “You’re super cute, and I really like you. I can’t see myself passing up the chance to cuddle.”  
Phil smiled and kissed Dan on the forehead.   
“Now, go back to sleep, sorry I woke you up.”  
“Don’t ever worry about waking me up. I’m always here for you.”   
Dan grinned as he closed his eyes and let himself drift off.   
Phil woke up with a groan when Dan slid out of his grip and stood up. “Mm, why do you have to get up?”  
Dan chuckled. “It’s 11:30.”  
“So?”  
Dan shook his head and walked to the kitchen.   
Ten minutes later, Phil finally got up and dragged himself to the kitchen, where Dan was scooping scrambled eggs onto two plates.  
“Morning, sunshine.” Dan smirked and set the plates down at the table.  
“Ugh.” Phil rubbed his eyes. Together, they sat down.  
Dan inhaled deeply. “So, about last night…”  
Phil bit his lip and started shoving his eggs around.  
Although he had started the conversation, Dan had half-hoped that Phil would take over so he didn’t have to find the next words. “Uh…”  
“Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have said, um, that,” Phil muttered.  
Dan put his hand on Phil’s. “Maybe not with someone else. But it’s me, Phil. Not only do you know for a fact I like you, but we’re also best friends. I love you, too.”  
Phil scoffed. “As a friend?”  
Dan leaned forward and pecked Phil on the lips. “Depends on how you interpret that,” he answered slyly.  
“Wow. Cheesy.”  
“Hey!”  
Phil laughed and pulled Dan into a longer, more passionate kiss. He dipped his tongue between his best friend’s lips and savored every moment and sensation he possibly could. After a moment, he took a breath. “So, what does this make us?”  
Dan kissed Phil again before shrugging. “The possibilities are endless.”  
Phil grinned. “Well, what would you prefer?”  
“Well, normally I’m not into labels…”  
Phil tried to hide the way his heart dropped. “That’s perfectly fine.”  
Dan smiled. “But, it would be pretty cool if you’d be my boyfriend.”  
“Wha-?” Phil blushed. “Yeah. Yeah, that sounds, uh, pretty cool.”  
“Mm. Alright then.” Dan giggled and stroked a hand through Phil’s hair.


	4. Enjoy It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan and Phil can finally enjoy being in love.

Dan and Phil spent the afternoon cuddling and watching movies with no sense of urgency to do anything at all. They were finally able to just enjoy each other, how soft and warm the space between each other's arms was, the way their lips felt perfect together, everything. All of those feelings had really built up, especially for Dan, and at last they could all spill out  
Immediately after dinner, Dan pulled Phil to the couch and turned on a Disney movie before climbing on top of him. He leaned down and kissed Phil, smiling on his lips.  
“I love you so much,” Phil whispered.  
Dan sighed in blissful relief. “I love you too, Phil.” He laid his head in the crook of Phil’s neck and closed his eyes.   
Two hours later, the movie was finished, and Dan was asleep on Phil. Phil poked him gently.   
“Babe- uh, Dan, wake up.”  
Dan grinned without opening his eyes. “Babe works.”  
Phil shifted. “Come on, let’s go to bed.” His voice came out smooth and soft.  
“Too comfy,” Dan muttered.  
“We’ll be even more comfy if you’d get up for five seconds!” Phil tried to sound mad, but he couldn’t keep the dopey smile off his face.   
Dan rolled awkwardly onto the floor, then stood. “Okay, I’m up. Now you have to tuck me in.”  
Phil stuck his tongue between his teeth and chuckled. “Fair enough.”  
Fingers interlocked, the couple made their way to Dan’s room and sat on opposite sides of the bed. Dan remained in a sleepy daze.  
“Um, babe, you need pajamas.” Phil caught his boyfriend before his head hit the pillow.   
Dan groaned. “Your mum needs pajamas.”  
Phil gave Dan a playful shove. “I hate you.”  
“You love me.”  
“Fine. Put on something resembling pajamas.’  
Dan sighed. “I sleep in my boxers.”  
“Okay,” Phil prompted, “then do that.”  
“Where’s your pajamas?” Dan smirked, finding himself clever.  
Phil scoffed. “I’ll go put them on. No sleeping ‘til I get back to cuddle.”  
Dan bit his lip and watched as Phil left the room. He still couldn’t believe he had really done it. Phil lester was really his boyfriend.  
When Phil returned, Dan was in his underwear, sitting on the edge of the bed. “I’m impressed, you really didn’t fall asleep.”  
“No, but I want to,” Dan whined.  
Phil climbed into the bed and pulled Dan next to him. He kissed him on the nose and giggled. “Goodnight.”  
Dan wrapped his arms around Phil. “‘Night.” And, just like that, they both drifted off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure this is a good ending point, but if you want more lemme know


End file.
